"Dear Steve, I saw a patient this morning with your book [in hand] and highlights throughout. She loves it and finds it very useful to help her in dealing with atrial fibrillation."

Dr. Wilber Su,Cavanaugh Heart Center, Phoenix, AZ

"...masterful. You managed to combine an encyclopedic compilation of information with the simplicity of presentation that enhances the delivery of the information to the reader. This is not an easy thing to do, but you have been very, very successful at it."

Ira David Levin, heart patient, Rome, Italy

"Within the pages of Beat Your A-Fib, Dr. Steve Ryan, PhD, provides a comprehensive guide for persons seeking to find a cure for their Atrial Fibrillation."

Walter Kerwin, MD, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA

FAQs Coping with A-Fib: Single Episode?

“Is it possible to have a single A-Fib attack and not have any others? I had a single episode of A-Fib 17 months ago and was successfully converted in the emergency room with medication (Cardizem drip). Other than an occasional PAC of PVC, I haven’t felt any A-Fib symptoms since.”

Once an area or areas in your heart start producing A-Fib pulses, it’s usually hard to turn them off again.

But whatever you did seems to have worked for you. Since your episode over a year ago, I’m assuming that your doctor has taken an annual ECG, and that you don’t have ‘silent A-Fib’.

Have your doctor keep track of your blood chemistry to make sure you don’t get into chemical imbalances that might trigger A-Fib again. (When you went to the hospital for that single episode of A-Fib, what kind of imbalances did they find from your blood tests?)

PACs and PVCs are considered benign—people with normal hearts have them too. But with A-Fib, they often seem to be precursors of an A-Fib episode.

For your own peace of mind, ask your doctor for a Holter or other type of monitor which you would wear for one to three days or longer. The test results would tell if you have developed “silent” A-Fib which you may not be aware of, but which can be just as dangerous as symptomatic A-Fib. (Some would say that silent A-Fib is even more dangerous because of the progressive risk of stroke and unnoticed heart deterioration over time.)

Disclaimer: the authors of this Web site are not medical doctors and are not affiliated with any medical school or organization. The information on this site is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health professional prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Nothing contained in this service is intended to be for medical diagnosis or treatment.